Among certification candidates, employers and the public, there is a growing awareness that certification credentials are not necessarily reliable indicators of professionalism and competence.  Although still somewhat common, especially among the uninformed, general acceptance of certification credentials on face value alone is not always a given.  Credential proliferation, loose or nonexistent standards, test fraud and other factors have had a negative impact on perceptions, which brings into question whether certifications are beneficial or even necessary for certain jobs.  As practitioners become increasingly aware of the issues affecting the credibility of many certification programs, they tend to become more discriminating about which credentials to pursue – or whether to bother with certification at all.

The media continues to cheer-lead credentialing programs of all types and while certification can provide a  boost to self-esteem, real-life career enhancing benefits of  salaries, employment opportunities, promotions and the like are more often realized through traditional and time-tested means.  Beyond superficial benefits such as prestigious-sounding titles and official looking certificates, there’s often a more significant difference between the potential benefits proclaimed by those who market professional certifications and the real value attained from them by working practitioners.

While the previous statements by no means apply to every certification program, we do believe that they apply more often than not.  In short, this can be translated into two words – buyer beware.   That said, below are three links that illustrate these points:

Social Media Certification:
Social Media Certification:  For the low, low price of ….

Java Programming Certification:
The Truth about being Sun Certified

IT Certification:
Why certifications are now worthless